The Casualness of Friday

Image: Mashable

Back when I was a practicing Personal Image Consultant, I was often hired to help people navigate the vagueries of the faux corporate holiday called Casual Friday. Every organization has a defining culture, a way of existing in the business world, an environment in which employees are expected to do the work they are paid to do on a daily basis and a mission which is guided by ownership, management, a board of directors or some combination of leadership entities. At least we hope. General job duties are usually clearly stated to staff members, performance is monitored. Most structured companies are precise, well oiled machines when it comes to how they operate yet the expectation of how one presents themselves within the workplace is often treated like a taboo subject. 

It's a fashion guessing game that can unfortunately backfire and impact how truly hardworking individuals are perceived. Not fair, but fact. I vowed that if I ever had my own company, which I do, I would clearly define Casual Fridays: Dress in a manner which allows for maximum comfort without sacrificing individual style or personality but in a manner that will not scare away our customers. Do that EVERY day. Then I left it up to my team to get a little laugh and interpret it in their own way. They don't ever look any less than fashionable. 

I try to lead by example. My own weekly uniform (below) always starts with a really great pair of jeans plus a graphic tee, the softer than fabric the better. Add a chic velvety, downy or silky jacket for greeting studio guests, flats or wedges and jewelry from my personal collection and I'm ready for the busiest of days.

Casual Friday Look: Tee - J. Crew, Jacket - LOFT, Jeans - CJ by Cookie Johnson, Necklaces - JulRe Designs

How do you do Casual Fridays?